Planning Hierarchy Maintenance 

This section describes some of the functions available for maintaining a planning hierarchy.

Adding New Members

To add a new characteristic value to an existing hierarchy, choose Master data ® Planning hierarchy ® Revise. See also Revising the Planning Hierarchy.

Deleting Members

If you use the Delete member function in the Planning hierarchy ® Create or Planning hierarchy -> Change function, all planned key figures in existing planning versions are also deleted. To avoid this, delete a characteristic value by choosing Master data ® Planning hierarchy ® Revise. See also Revising the Planning Hierarchy.

Assigning Characteristic Values to a Planning Level

Use these functions if you create a planning hierarchy manually. Assign characteristic values to a planning level either manually, by choosing Goto ® Next level or by double-clicking on the level, or by copying existing assignments with Edit ® Copy from.

The Copy from function allows you to copy characteristic values from an owner characteristic value on the next higher level. This higher-level characteristic value must be different from the one to which you now want to assign members and which you specified in the Characteristics dialog box. Any aggregation factors, proportional factors, fixed branch indicators, or units are also copied. You can overwrite, delete, or add to this system-proposed data.

You want to define the distribution channels (characteristic values) in sales organization WEST (higher-level characteristic value). To do so, you copy the distribution channels that already exist in sales organization EAST and change the data as necessary:
    1. Choose Edit ® Copy from.
    2. Specify the characteristic value you want to use as a reference, in this case, sales organization EAST.
    3. Choose ENTER .

The required data is copied to your planning level where you are free to change it.

Moving between Planning Levels

You can create a complete multi-level planning hierarchy manually, in one processing step.

You start at the top of the planning hierarchy. To assign the characteristic values of the next lower level, you select it. You proceed in this way for as many hierarchical levels as you want. The same approach applies to the displaying of planning hierarchies.

If your planning method is consistent planning, you must specify characteristic values at all levels. This is because data is stored at the detailed level with this planning method.

To move from one planning level to the next lower level in the hierarchy, choose Goto ® Next level.

Proportional Factors

The proportional factors determine how a key figure at one level of your organization is distributed to another level. The R/3 System uses the proportional factors in conjunction with the units of measure conversion factors to calculate planning data.

The proportional factors you see in the planning hierarchy define the relationships between characteristic values on adjacent planning levels. The initial value of a proportional factor in the planning hierarchy is 0 %. The total of the proportional factors at one level is usually 100 %, although it does not have to be. For example, you might decide to plan more than 100 % in order to have a buffer for inventory that has to be written off.

You maintain proportional factors in the planning hierarchy in the following ways:

The Copy from function proposes the proportional factors of the copied characteristic values. You can change any of them manually.

The R/3 System divides 100 by the number of characteristic values on that planning level to obtain the proportional factors.

To distribute the proportional factors evenly across all the characteristic values on a planning level, choose Edit ® Distribute proportions.

In consistent planning, you always calculate the proportional factors automatically¾possibly in combination with one of the above methods.

See also:

Automatic Calculation of the Constant Proportional Factors in Consistent Planning

Automatic Calculation of the Proportional Factors in Level-By-Level Planning

Calculating the Proportional Factors Automatically

Units

The default units of the information structure on which your planning hierarchy is based are defined in Customizing (in Set parameters for info structures and key figures). They are:

The base units of measure of materials are taken from the material master records. If the base unit of measure if a material is different than the base unit of measure of the information structure, you must define the base unit of the information structure as an alternative unit of measure in the material master record.

See also:

Switching Units in the Planning Table

Transfer to Demand Management

Graphical Support

The management of planning hierarchies is supported graphically. You can display either the entire planning hierarchy or all characteristic values from the top down to the current level in the planning hierarchy. See also Master Data Graphics.

Generating the Planning Hierarchy Automatically

See Master Data Generator in Flexible Planning.

 

See also:

Revising the Planning Hierarchy